Daily contact with substances which leave unpleasant and/or lingering odors on an individual's body and hair is almost unavoidable. Foods such as fish, onions, garlic or other spices, cooking odors, smoke, tobacco, and gasoline are just a few of the common environmental sources of malodors in daily life.
Numerous attempts have been made to conceal unpleasant odors through the use of deodorizing compositions. These compositions typically rely on the presence of heavy fragrances or perfumes to mask odors. However, perfumes and fragrances alone are often inadequate at fully concealing malodors, and some may be irritating to the user.
Zeolites such as those marketed under the trade name Abscents.RTM. by the Union Carbide Corporation and UOP are known odor absorbers. However these commonly known solid odor absorbers, in addition to known activated charcoal odor absorbers, lose functionality when wet. Therefore, when wetted by body fluids or when carried in an aqueous solution, these odor absorbers are not preferred as they lose their desired odor absorbent characteristics. Furthermore, zeolites can cause a "harsh" feel if too much is deposited onto the skin. The white zeolite powder and the black activated charcoal can also be rather visible and unsightly when applied to body surfaces such as skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,165, to Pilosof et al., issued Jul. 9, 1996, describes aqueous, odor absorbing compositions for controlling odors on fabrics, particularly clothes. Such compositions, however, are not for use directly on the human skin.
Thus, there remains a need for improved methods for controlling environmental odors which are safe and effective for use on the entire body. Furthermore, it is desirable that a perfume is fleeting such that it indicates freshness, but is not long lasting on the user's skin. More particularly, there is a need for convenient methods of absorbing a broad spectrum of odors that are not fully suppressed by the aforementioned means.
It has been discovered that methods for such enhanced malodor control can be safely provided to the entire body by application of a mixture which is left on the skin and which incorporates odor absorbing, uncomplexed cyclodextrins and a hydrophilic, volatile perfume composition into an aqueous solution. Such methods provide a leave on mixture with optimal malodor absorbing characteristics. Moreover, it has been discovered that the aforementioned benefits may be delivered in an aqueous solution which also optionally delivers skin aid benefits to the user such as protection and/or moisturization.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows. All percentages, ratios, and parts herein, in the Specification, Examples, and Claims are by weight unless otherwise stated. The term "g", as used herein, means gram. The term "ml", as used herein, means milliliter. The term "wt", as used herein, means weight.